Chương 66: Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea (2/2)

Ignatius After Pia handed him the talisman, she left to meet with her inner disciple instructor. Ignatius didn't feel like approaching any of the outer disciples scattered around the courtyard. He spotted the slope that Rowan had been cultivating on earlier. It was between the Outer Courtyard and the Inner Sanctum, and had a decent view of the gate, so maybe he'd be able to catch Rowan coming back to the sect. Ignatius stood up from the table and walked over there, sitting under the same tree as Rowan had.

He looked up at the sea of stars, looking for the Black Tortoise that Pia had pointed out earlier, but his memory was too poor. He couldn't find it at all. Ignatius cupped his fist.

"Black Tortoise Immortal, if you are listening, this one is extremely sorry he mistook you for a dog. This one is ignorant and causes offense easily. Please spare this one's life." He paused for a moment.

"Bug Immortal, if you also exist, please don't punish Pia for killing that beetle. She's a good person at heart. Just a little careless." After his talk with Pia, and her handing him the expensive talisman, he wondered if his opinion of her had been unfair. Maybe she did consider him a friend after all. He sighed and brought out the talisman, feeling the thin paper between his fingers. If he was already praying, would it hurt to say a few more?

A prayer asking for Rowan to understand him, a prayer to be assigned a helpful new team leader, a prayer for no one to realize his secret— No… These things… He shouldn't bother the immortals with these things. Even as he was thinking about them, he felt how mundane they were. Every day, Ignatius felt more and more like a fraud. And he knew people would realize it soon enough. After all, he had entered the sect in the first layer of Qi Condensation, but hadn't made any progress since.

Pia had told him to talk to Rowan like all the other cultivators in his family. He wished he could tell the world that he wasn't really from a cultivation family like everyone thought. People knew him as 'Ignatius Cantor', a descendant of the renowned Ottavio Cantor, the Autumn Scholar. That wasn't true. His parents had only been the mortal stewards on the Autumn Scholar's qi fruit orchard, and when the old cultivator died, he decided to leave everything to them.

Ignatius had eaten a lot of qi fruits and broken through early in his life. The sect accepted him with open arms, praising his "grandfather" for his strong bloodline. Ignatius thought that he would be able to learn real cultivation once he was in the sect. But, he discovered how behind he was. To form a Qi Sea naturally, which as far as he knew, most of his classmates had done, you needed to be able to sense and manipulate qi. Ignatius didn't know how to do any of this.

He thought back to the scripture he had selected, Breath in Five Elements. It was perfect for someone like him - someone who might never break through to the second layer - letting him use his unaligned qi for offense and defense. But Ignatius couldn't even figure out the Qi Blast on the second page. All the talk of apertures and meridians went over his head. In the past, he'd felt a strong kinship with Rowan Helsing, who'd known everything there was to know about cultivation except how to cultivate.

Ignatius had suspected that Rowan was also a fraud, just better with a sword. And then one day, Rowan Helsing got over his block and left not just Ignatius but every other outer disciple behind. They hadn't been much alike, after all. Ignatius perked up when he heard a rustling along the path. Four yellow-robed figures came walking up. Old Hesser had let them in without fussing about the curfew. Coincidentally, it was Lee Lothesby, Damion Decatour, Silvester, and Rowan. Ignatius had just been thinking about him.

He was about to push himself off the slope to return the talisman to him, when he paused. Something… was wrong. The four of them were eerily silent, and Lee and Damion were tense, anger in their muscles. Damion wore his fury the most openly - his face was pale as paper, his features pinched. Lee's right thumb pressed over one knuckle then the next, as though trying to crack them over and over again. And Rowan… With Rowan, you could barely tell. Which was the frightening part.

All of the anxiety that Ignatius had been trying to talk himself out of returned. Ever since Rowan's Great Aunt had gifted him a body refinement treasure, his face was like a serene mask. When Rowan had faced down Barrett Fross in front of the Stone Dragon Refinery, he seemed perfectly calm. His only tell was his eyes. When he was angry, truly angry, the light brightened in them. Not warm - bright. A kind of brightness that looked like it needed somewhere to go.

Ignatius observed Rowan gliding up the path, the picture of an aloof immortal. His eyes, dangerously bright. A rock settled in his gut as Ignatius looked at Silvester, his friend. The tall boy was doing his very best to ignore the three furious young masters behind him, but his strides were too long to be casual. Any thought of the talisman vanished from Ignatius's mind. His entire body felt clammy and he held his breath, afraid to draw attention to himself. Then, he clenched his fists, cursing his cowardice.

Ignatius didn't know what was going on, or what Silvester had done to offend the three, but… Silvester was his friend. Someone needed to stand up for him. To explain that whatever Silvester had done, he hadn't meant it. Silvester was another classmate he had met through Lavinia - another fellow outcast. Ignatius related to him most.

Pia and Lavinia were both birds of a feather - they hadn't been born into cultivation families, but still came from wealth, and were able to afford all the costs associated with cultivation. Silvester had come from absolutely nothing. He never gave the specifics of his background, but Ignatius knew it was even more humble than his own. At least Ignatius had grown up around cultivators coming to negotiate with his parents. He'd passively learned many things through these interactions.

Silvester didn't have this advantage. His bows were too quick, he didn't always chew with his mouth closed, and he often said the wrong thing. More than that… when Silvester had first joined the sect, he didn't even know how to write. He had to take remedial lessons with Instructor Sutter. Ignatius truly admired Silvester, even if he found him brusque at times. In just a few months, he had improved so much.

When he'd heard the merit student had been put into a group with the three young masters of their class, Ignatius knew something was going to go wrong. Now, apparently, was the moment. And the only person around was Ignatius! As the four disciples continued, almost walking out of his sight, Ignatius shoved his apprehension aside and followed them. Several times he almost spoke up, but the words choked in his throat. His heart was beating so quickly that he felt like it would fly out of his chest.

He was sure that Rowan could hear it, which paradoxically, made him even more nervous to call out and stop the group. After a few minutes of walking, Decatour's anger boiled over. Decatour stopped and turned Silvester's shoulder so roughly the other man's glasses fell to the ground, one lens cracking." Merit student!" Decatour spat so furiously, a few birds spooked and flew from their nests. Ignatius, too, flinched back. He'd never even heard Decatour raise his voice before.

"Do you have any idea what you did?" yelled Decatour. Silvester picked his glasses up off the floor, glaring. Decatour threw his hands up in disgust.

"You don't even have a clue. You're probably thinking 'wow, wonder why that disciple flew off the handle!' or 'aren't other sects so snooty'!" Other sects? Had the four of them run into trouble?

"Do you know who that man was?" asked Decatour.

"Pherys Rosier, inheriting disciple of Red Lotus Hall. I did hear him say that," said Silvester sarcastically.

"What is Red Lotus Hall known for?" Decatour thundered. Silvester didn't back down.

"Looking for reasons to start fights, probably." Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

"You were enabling it! Do you have any idea how hard Helsing was working to deescalate the situation? And his every attempt was immediately undermined by something coming out of your mouth. To Red Lotus Hall of all places!"

"Aren't we allied with all of these sects anyway?"

"Forget it. You have no idea and I shouldn't expect anything. Red Lotus Hall is built around the Unsetting Sun Blessed Land. This is where Birthing Empress Lilies come from. An irreplaceable ingredient in the Foundation Establishment Pill." Silvester didn't interrupt him.

"So let's try this again. Do you know who that man was?" Silvester said, "Yes. He is the precious prince of the sect that is indispensable to the Earthly Harmony Alliance. But this is our city. And I didn't say anything objectionable–""But why?" cut in Lee with clenched teeth, finally speaking.

"Why would you say anything at all?" Silvester narrowed his eyes at him.

"We are not retainers of House Helsing. I, at least, earned my place in the sect-""Why does that matter?" Lee asked.

"Everyone constantly speaks about reputation and standing and history as things that matter," said Silvester, a hint of true frustration finally breaking through.

"But when it comes to our reputations-""Reputation does matter," said Lee, quietly.

"But not in the way that a strong cultivation base or good deeds matter. Reputation is more like wealth. It is only valuable if it can be spent." There was a long silence as the four of them continued to walk up the uneven stone stairs. Ignatius followed them, trying to step as silently as he could. It seemed his earlier guess had been correct. Silvester had said the wrong thing to the wrong person. But… it seemed like the group had gotten out of the situation.

He wondered if he could interject and pull Silvester away, saying he needed the boy for… to… to help him with his homework. A night apart should give everyone a chance to calm down, right? He raised his hand, determined to call out, but was interrupted by his friend.

"It seems like I'm the only one who hasn't got any money, or respect, here," said Silvester.

"If you believe that," said Lee, "then shouldn't you be concerned that I didn't say anything? That I gave him a bow deeper than the one we owe to Elder Cloris?"

"Elder Cloris? Why him specifically?" Silvester said blankly. Decatour exhaled loudly, with a shocked chuckle.

"Whose inheriting disciple is Senior Brother Mikael?"

"Oh," said Silvester.

"Then when we see the three elders-""You bow first to Elder Patino on grounds of seniority, most deeply to Cloris - your Master's Master, and then to Schell, who you admire greatly," rattled off Rowan smoothly, his first words of the night. The quietness of his voice was almost worse than if he'd been yelling like Decatour. Ignatius paused. Was this why all the older members of the sect liked Rowan Helsing so much?

Because he actually showed them a sort of respect that had been completely invisible to everyone else?

"I'm willing to do that. Those are my elders. My teachers. I owe them, as much as I owe Mr. Fross, or-"" Honored Elder Fross," snapped Damion Decatour.

"Mr. Fross is one of his mortal relatives that operates a sweets shop on the Main Road. Even our elders don't call him Mr. Fross."

"I've met with him several times," protested Silvester.

"He's my merit sponsor, and he's never had a problem-" Silvester often spoke highly of the man to Ignatius in private. Rowan scoffed.

"That is just your good fortune," he said.

"You encountered the most lenient elder on the peninsula. If he was someone like my uncle… Calling Baudelain Fross ' Mr. Fross' is even worse than calling Rosier 'sir'." Ignatius didn't know who Rosier was, but the circumstances were beginning to come together. They had encountered important people from a visiting sect, and Silvester had offended him greatly.

"Maybe I should apologize-" Lee slapped his hand against his forehead." Why?!" Silvester looked confused, and then irritated.

"What am I missing here? I've learned that I've been insulting him this whole time, shouldn't I apologize?"

"You should not," said Lee.

"What's the best thing that can happen when you give an unprompted apology to someone who has already let go of your insult? You get someone to awkwardly tell you that they were okay with it? There's nothing to be gained."

"But-""And what's the worst thing that can happen?" Lee continued.

"Let's say they really were very angry, and they've gotten over it. Then you remind them of all the things they were mad about in the first place." Ignatius thought of the talismans he'd planted for Barrett Fross before Rowan's duel in a new light. Pia was right. If Rowan had been aggrieved about his shameful part in the matter, reminding him of it would be the worst thing Ignatius could do.

"The best thing you can do is to improve," said Lee.

"And if you've done something poorly, or made some mistake, just don't do it again." Ignatius caught a glimpse of their faces as the stairway wound past the clearing that led to the Inner Sanctum. Decatour was still angry. Silvester was still skeptical.

"There's still some things I don't understand," said Silvester, at last.

"When Rosier asked for my opinion on the Vermillion Bird Chases Summer inscription, why did he get so upset by what I said?"

"Because words can have many meanings. That's why you must be careful with who you discuss the Dao with - if someone is looking for a reason to be offended, they will find one," said Rowan.

"But why? Isn't that the whole point of this? To learn? To disagree? To discuss?" Rowan stopped walking and took a deep breath.

"There's some things," he tried, then stopped.

"Cultivators are not mundane. Their views on the world are not simple, and get more complicated as they rise through the stages of cultivation. The things that move a daoist to act are unclear. Sometimes, those things are absolute for them. Some things cannot be tolerated."

"Did I actually say something to make Rosier angry?" challenged Silvester.

"Without a doubt," said Rowan.

"He became a different person entirely."

"But what could I have possibly said?" Silvester wondered.

"It was a question about an inscription that I'd never heard of. Everyone knows the legend of the Vermillion Bird. I just came up with it on the spot."

"I can think of at least three ways that you offended him, but there's probably more," said Rowan.

"But you didn't come up with all of it. The first thing Rosier focused on was that you'd said 'earned the blessings of the phoenix'. That's how Uxia described Ranna. As someone who earned the blessings of a phoenix."

"The woman with the creepy gold eyes?" asked Silvester.

"Yes. His sister most likely," said Rowan.

"When you said the Vermillion Bird earned the blessings of the phoenix, you can interpret it in the same way you would if I had said Zarian Zanathmas earned the blessings of Ancient Dynasty Tower. Everything from Red Lotus Hall is phoenix themed. Doesn't it sound like you're threatening their foundation, or his sister, or both?" Ignatius caught himself before he could gasp loudly. Silvester had found a way to inadvertently threaten someone from Red Lotus Hall while discussing cultivation with him?

"That's one way," said Rowan.

"Here's another. By mentioning that the Vermillion Bird is a common bird that earned power over the phoenix, you're implying that the phoenix's power is not earned. You've told him that they don't deserve their inheritance."

"I didn't think-""No one reasonable thought that. But he did," said Rowan.

"And finally, there were so many symbols related to the Heavenly Skies Sect in what you said. Their sect symbol is the sun, and the Vermillion Bird is a favorite of their Patriarch. You mentioned pheasants, and the sky being the best medium for cultivation." Decatour nodded along grimly.

"I'm not clear on how good the relation between the two are, but you might have implied that Red Lotus Hall should join the Heavenly Skies as a branch sect. And the Heavenly Skies are in the habit of collecting them." This was outrageous. Ignatius was going to steer clear of every disciple from the visiting sects.

"You also told him that he should consider putting his inscription in the sky. If I were as easily offended as Rosier, I would probably take that as you saying that I would never be able to inscribe it."

"That's-""All of this is without knowledge of what their scriptures say about these symbols," said Rowan.

"Who knows what they think about pheasants, or blessings, or the south, or any number of esoteric things like that? Who knows how many of their enemies you've mentioned?" There were another few steps of silence.

"Speaking of relations… Something's been bothering me about this situation, Decatour. Do the Rosiers have an issue with your family?" Rowan asked. An issue with House Decatour? Even Ignatius knew that the Decatours were widely known for not having any enemies. He'd only heard Damion Decatour repeat that for years.

"Don't ask stupid questions, Helsing," said Damion.

"No one has problems with House-" Decatour had stopped climbing.

"Maybe," said Decatour. Maybe?

"Maybe?" asked Rowan.

"This is the first time you've said something that wasn't 'No one has problems with House Decatour'. You have some explaining to do as well," said Rowan coldly." I can recognize a Decatour anywhere. Is that why he approached you? Rosier obviously has something against your house, and I'm half-convinced he was trying to find an excuse to fight us because of something related to you." Decatour's lips thinned.

"It's none of your business." Lee's head snapped up.

"That's where you're wrong. It has certainly become our business. It is now unfortunately our business." Decatour clicked his tongue against his teeth. He didn't seem to like that everyone's ire was focused on him now.

"There's… one thing I can think of. I believe the Rosiers might support a different prince than my family at the imperial capital."

"The Capital Decatours, as everyone knows," Rowan said, blithely miming Damion's manner of speech. Court drama? Ignatius knew so little about the wider Empire the peninsula was a part of. He hadn't even known the name of the Empire until recently, when Magistrate Cyrille had announced it as part of his parade speech.

"In our house's history, we have never publicly backed a prince before…" started Decatour.

"Before your Aunt Ourania became a prince's Dao Companion," finished Rowan.

"You should probably check up on who we have to watch out for. Being ambushed is getting a little old." Rowan half-turned and locked eyes with Ignatius. Ignatius stumbled back in shock. Without a second thought, he fled back down the stairs.